Will of the Force
by SasquatchBalls
Summary: Jedi Master Voolvif Monn is solitary by nature. But his entire life as a Jedi is set to change when he finds a young boy, one incredibly strong in the Force. As the Clone Wars rage across the galaxy, Monn and his Padawan stand together through some of the toughest times either Jedi has faced...
1. Prologue

Prologue

 _5 years before The Battle of Geonosis_

 _There is no emotion, there is peace._

 _There is no ignorance, there is knowledge._

 _There is no passion, there is serenity._

 _There is no chaos, there is harmony._

 _There is no death, there is the Force._

This code was the basis around which the life of every Jedi was formed. They lived by it, were moulded by it and, when the time came, died by it. The code promoted self-discipline, something Padawan learners were taught in the earliest stages of their Force training. And his was no different.

As he sat alone in the great library of the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, the Jedi Knight Voolvif Monn pondered this code again and again. It was not that he was losing his faith or that he was doubting the very code by which he lived. This was simply something he did, day in and day out. The Shistavanen ruffled his shaggy, brown fur, deciding that it was time to leave for another part of the temple, most likely his private quarters to meditate. His people were extremely solitary by nature, something which he would honour to his last breath, it was in his genes. Before standing, he felt a presence enter through one of the library's many doors. The unmistakable presence of Master Erak Chandur, one of the temple's experts on Lightsaber combat.

Chandur was a well-aged human male Jedi Master, around 50 to 60 years old. His hair was greyed and his face worn with the weight of the years he had seen throughout his life and the Jedi students he had seen come and go from under his teachings. As Monn stood to greet his friend, he rose to his full almost-2 meter height. Master Chandur was one of the only Jedi in the entire order that Voolvif Monn would call a close friend, or as close a friend as a Jedi could have without forming a major attachment. Master Chandur had taught Monn in the ways of basic Lightsaber combat in his early Padawan days, just as he had many other young would be-Jedi. As Chandur shuffled across the room to greet his friend and former student, his sand coloured robes swaying as he moved and a look of unadulterated delight spread across his face at seeing his old friend, Monn couldn't help allowing his lip to curl into a pleased smile, his large, off-white canines inadvertently bared.

"Good morning to you, Master Chandur," Monn said as the old Jedi approached, bowing his head in curtesy. "I trust the night was good to you?"

"There is such a thing as being lost in a good book or an ancient scripture, my friend," Chandur laughed "But this, this is ridiculous at best. It is mid-afternoon."

Monn checked the time on the nearest holo-display, belonging to a nearby terminal. It was indeed late afternoon, approximately 7 hours since he had ventured down to the library alone. He was un-phased by this, it was not the first time he had found his day disappear while browsing the temple's collection of scriptures and databank entries.

"I see I have managed to kill as much of my time as possible again." He smiled. "Tell me, Master, why do you come here?"

The older human shrugged his shoulders in an almost sarcastic fashion.

"Is an old man such as myself no longer permitted to access the library in his very place of residence? Is this what your generation has come to think of the elderly?"

Monn gave a slight chuckle. Even when he was evidently happy to see him, Chandur could always make a quick quip about his antics and immediately pass the blame onto "his generation". A sign of the Jedi's age, he thought.

"Master, for all I know you could have built this very temple at the rate at which you are ageing by the day." Master Chandur laughed at this remark. Trust the Shistavanen to bring his age into this. "I meant why have you come here to me? Is there something you wish to discuss?"

The old man gave a sigh, sounding almost relieved that he had asked him.

"I would like you to come and observe my next class, if you will." The Wolf-man's hair stood on end at this suggestion. Monn tried hard to fight back a slight snarl at this request.

"This is about the Padawan again, isn't it? With all due respect, Master, I have told you countless times that it is simply not in my nature to be in the same room as a student, let alone take one as my own. I am from a fiercely solitary race and I will honour their tradit-"

"Just listen to me, my friend. That is all I ask." Master Chandur was at his wit's end at this point. For months he had been trying to get Monn to take on a student and to no avail. But this time it was different. This time he had popular opinion by his side. Monn turned away upon hearing his words.

"Proceed then, Master." Monn sighed, his long snout pointed toward the floor.

"I have discussed this matter with the High Council this morning." Monn's head shot up, his ebony eyes wide. He turned to face the Jedi Master, whom he had clearly taken by surprise with his sudden movements.

"I beg your pardon, Master Chandur?" The Jedi Master could sense the displeasure in the younger Jedi's voice.

"I sat with the Jedi High Council and they all agree with me. They believe it is high time you took a student."

Monn growled. He knew for a fact that once the High Council had decided on anything, it was to be set in stone. He could feel his anger growing at this deception. He had to fight it. Reciting his code in his head, he held it at bay.

 _There is no emotion, there is peace._

"While I am very displeased with this deception, Master, I do sense that it is not in my power to resist any longer. I accept your offer."

Chandur laughed, the young Jedi had never sounded so reluctant to do anything in his life.

"Have no fear, my friend. My students will not bite." He chuckled as he placed his arm around the Jedi Knight's shoulder. "Though you may find some are a little…unorthodox in their style."


	2. Chapter I

Chapter I

Voolvif Monn reluctantly followed suit as Master Chandur led him down one of the temple's many long halls to his class. Chandur always preferred teaching his students the art of Lightsaber forms in one of the temple's outdoor courtyards as opposed to a classroom. The freedom of the outdoors, he felt, aided the young students in understanding the freedom granted to them by the power of the Force and the presence it had in all of their lives. Turning a corner, the durasteel doors separating the inside of the temple from the outdoors slid open with a heavy _clunk._ And right there before him, the Shistavanen Jedi Knight saw something that seemed straight out of a nightmare.

The children of Master Chandur's class stood before him, scattered around the courtyard in conversation. Upon their teacher's command, they turned and arranged themselves into two uniform lines of ten. Monn supressed an instinctive snarl and followed the elderly Jedi to address the young students.

"Good afternoon, young Jedi." Chandur greeted them with a bow of his head.

The echoes of twenty young Jedi, all around the age of 13, sounded around the courtyard. "Good afternoon, Master Chandur."

Chandur smiled. "Be ready to take notes, young ones. We have a guest to our lesson today. I'd like you all to welcome Voolvif Monn." Monn stepped forward, forcing a slightly toothy smile to the young Jedi who greeted him respectfully. Monn turned his head slightly in order to quietly address Chandur.

"How exactly am I supposed to select a Padawan out of this group?" He asked. "Sit here and watch you teach until I see one who takes my liking?"

The old man turned to face him and laughed. "Oh my dear friend, I am not teaching these students in today's lesson."

Monn looked at him, slightly confused until a slow realisation spread across his face.

Chandur knew his former student had realised exactly what was going on but felt he should still clarify for him. "You are going to teach them." Chandur chuckled, indefinitely pleased with himself.

"I'm sorry? You expect ME to teach these younglings?" Monn barked in disbelief, his brown fur seemingly increasing his physical size, an intimidation method used instinctively by Shistavanen.

"My friend, how are you supposed to know which youngling is ready to be your Padawan if you do not get to know them yourself?"

Monn growled at the Jedi's rhetorical question.

"When the right youngling presents his or herself, you will know." Master Chandur turned back to address the assembled younglings, now talking amongst themselves. "I want you all to listen very closely to Master Monn, he is going to be teaching today's lesson." The sounds of awestruck younglings erupted from the group as the almost two-meter tall Wolf-man stepped forward, slightly more accepting of the group as Chandur's last sentence rang through his mind over and over.

" _Listen very closely to Master Monn"_

'Master Monn'. He had finally done it. His lips curled into a pleased smile, his long teeth protruding from his mouth.

 _ **Some time later…**_

Master Monn walked over to where Master Chandur had sat himself during the lesson. He had observed Monn's teachings closely. He had given a lesson on his preffered Lightsaber form, the importance of the weapon to a Jedi and even gave a short lecture about his race. As one of the only Shistavanen Jedi in the whole order, the younglings were transfixed by his tales.

"I'm proud of you, Master Jedi." Chandur smiled as Monn approached him. That word ran through Monn's head again: 'Master'.

"Have you made a decision yet?"

Monn turned to look at the group of young force sensitives. Though he hadn't been entirely sure during his lesson, he was now certain. He gestured Chandur to lend his eyes to the top left corner of the courtyard. A young human boy of about 13 years, the same age as most of the younglings in the class. Throughout the day, Monn had observed him. The way he wielded the training blade he had been given was different to the other students. He made great sweeping strikes and spins, with an elegance typically associated with users of a double-bladed Saberstaff. He was also very strong in the force, Monn had sensed this as he had entered the courtyard several hours ago with Master Chandur, though he hadn't been able to place the youngling who was emanating it.

"Ah, him." Chandur pondered Monn's decision briefly. "Choenn Takar. Found by Master Fisto on a visit to Abregado-Rae. Didn't have the best living conditions so his parents were willing to give him up to the Jedi Order to ensure his future."

"He's strong in the force." Monn muttered, not turning to face Chandur until he had finished. "You have felt it? He has the potential to be a great Jedi."

"Sounds like you're quite taken by him." Chandur chuckled. "He can be reckless, I have observed this in many a lesson. But he has a certain degree of raw elegance when wielding his weapon that cannot be matched by any other student of mine. Not since that irritable young Shistavanen boy all those years ago."

Monn gave out a soft laugh at the old man's comment. He had grown accustom to these kind of remarks by most of his fellow Jedi due to the nature he inherited from his race.

"Being strong in the force does not make him easy to teach. Do you feel you are up for the challenge?"

The new Jedi Master looked at his potential student, standing in a corner of the yard twirling a training sabre over his head and around his body in great, sweeping movements.

"I can teach him." Monn finally spoke. "He will be a great Jedi, I can feel it."

Chandur smiled and gave his former youngling a pat on the shoulder. "Then there is not a moment to lose." He slowly rose to his feet and called the other younglings over.

"That will be all today, young Jedi. You have each taken another step towards becoming true Jedi. Can we all thank Master Monn for coming down specially to teach us, too?"

Amongst the voices of the younglings, Monn heard that of his new student. As the others were leaving, he called after him.

"Choenn. Will you please wait behind?"

Slightly confused, Choenn obliged and stepped back into the courtyard. He wasn't sure he was in trouble, he had been on his best behaviour today, no pranks on his fellow students.

"Walk with me, youngling." Master Monn gestured to him. The youngling stepped into line alongside the tall Jedi.

"Am I in trouble, Master Monn?"

The wolf laughed. "No, Young one, not today. I have another lesson for you."

Choenn was confused by this. "Master? I don't understand."

They continued walking along the edge of the courtyard, through the garden. Eventually, they came to a fairly large tree. The long, arm-like branches of the tree reached out toward the Jedi Temple, each one covered with a sleeve of pink blossom. Each courtyard in the temple's grounds featured one of these trees. Each was planted to allow the Jedi to maintain a strong sense of inner peace and aid them in establishing their affinity with the living force. Even here on the busy, metropolis world of Coruscant, the trees could grow and blossom despite the bustling world of city life going on close by.

The Jedi Master stopped in front of this tree. Choenn looked down at the floor. He could see a small circle of round stones in the area in front of the tree. He looked around the immediate area some more. Wind chimes hung from the tall tree, but there was no wind. He watched as Master Monn stepped forward and sat down in the centre of the circle.

"A Jedi must maintain a constant connection with the Force. It isn't a case of controlling the power, but also letting it control you at times. Our connection with the Force is a counterbalance, we share control of one another. We must first allow ourselves to lift the smallest stones before we can shift the heaviest boulder." The newly anointed Jedi Master shut his eyes. Choenn watched intently as silence fell across the courtyard.

Suddenly, what felt like a gust of wind rushed around the two Jedi. Choenn knew better than to make assumptions, he knew that the Master sat before him was calling on the power of the Force. The youngling could feel it. It was everywhere. It gushed from the cracks in the ground and was emitted by the yard's garden. He looked ahead. The tree seemed to burn with the sheer power of the Force that was being drawn out by the Jedi Master. The ring of stones positioned around Monn began to lift higher and higher into the air. Choenn felt a sense of awe and pure majesty rush over him.

The stones began to gently lower. Once they had touched the ground, Monn opened his eyes and stood once again.

"For your lesson, I want you to do the same." Choenn was shocked. There was no way he could pull off the same feat as Master Monn had just managed to, he was only a youngling after all.

"Allow the Force to guide you. Let it control you. If you allow it to let you lift the stones, you too could lift the boulder."

"I will try my best, Master Monn." Choenn was nervous. He had never used the Force to this extent before. What if he failed? What would the Jedi Master think of him? He might never advance past being a youngling.

He sat down in the centre of the ring, just as the Jedi Master had done. Taking several deep breaths, he shut his eyes and began to concentrate.

"Let yourself become one with the ground." Monn said softly, trying to guide the young Jedi. "Let the plant life become a part of you. Allow the Living Force to guide your movements."

Choenn couldn't tell if he was shaking from his nerves, but he could feel something beneath him. It was as if the ground were trembling under a great earthquake.

Master Monn watched in awe as the stones began to lift higher and higher around the youngling. They reached the height he himself had achieved. But they kept rising, higher and higher still until they were almost level with the top of the tree. Choenn felt the power come over him even stronger, allowing it to guide his actions. Monn felt a rumbling in the floor beneath him. Turning around to face the garden, he saw it. A huge boulder, previously unseen by himself or the youngling due to the thick foliage covering it. It too was rising into the air. Higher and higher it climbed. A sound echoed out from behind the youngling. Monn listened as the wind chimes attached to the tree began to sing their song. Still there was no wind, only the Force.

Upon hearing this sound, Choenn opened his eyes to see all of his work. With one final wave of pure energy, he felt the Force shoot up above him, causing the branches of the great tree to shake and the blanket of pink blossom to fall onto the ground around the two Jedi. Once the stones and the boulder has been lowered back to their original positions, Choenn stood up to face the Jedi Master.

"I have never felt the presence of the Force as strong as now, Master Monn." Choenn was almost hysterical. Monn smiled, he was still only a young child, of course.

"The Force is very strong with you, Choenn." Monn placed a hand on the young Jedi's shoulder. "That is why I brought you here."

Choenn tilted his head to the side. He wasn't fully understanding the weight of what Monn was saying.

"I wish to take you on as my Padawan. So that I can train you in the ways of the Force myself and you can, one day, ascend to the rank of Jedi Knight." Choenn's face was covered in an expression of pure glee.

"You mean I can make my own Lightsaber and learn how to do everything you can?" He could barely control himself. Monn chuckled at the young boy's enthusiasm.

"Precisely." Monn assured him. "I see already that you are up for the challenge. I will inform the High Council of this decision."

"No need, my friend."

Monn turned to see Master Chandur strolling towards him. "I have already alerted the Council to your decision and they agree to allow you to train him."

Monn couldn't help but smile. Chandur could always tell when Monn was ready to do something before even he did. Perhaps that is why he came to the library earlier, Monn thought.

Turning to face his new Padawan learner, Monn could see he had already composed himself and calmed down. He gave bow to the young boy, who returned the gesture.

"That will be all for now, Padawan."

"Thank you, Master."

Monn watched as Choenn walked away before leaving himself with Master Chandur at his side. He sighed internally.

" _So much for being solitary."_


	3. Chapter II

_5 years later_

The sun had only just begun to rise on Sullust. The glow of the star was absorbed by the black, volcanic surface rock of the planet. The flows of crimson lava seemed like scars on the planet's surface, the blood of the world seeping out from below the surface. The natives of this world, the peculiar-looking Sullustans, had built their homes under the harsh ground of the planet, constructing gardens of edible lichen to sustain themselves.

The roar of engines echoes across one of Sullust's canyons. A fleet of Republic LAAT Gunships flew in tight formation across the planet below. The fleet was made up of 15 Gunships, each carrying a supply of Clone Troopers, and 4 Dropships carrying AT-TE Walkers. Inside the lead gunship, Clone Commander Fade moved amongst his men to address his Jedi General.

"General Monn, we haven't received any more transmissions from Skywalker's team. They were pinned down outside SoroSuub Headquarters."

Master Monn pondered his commander's words. They had received a transmission while in orbit from Captain Rex requesting reinforcements at the main base of the SoroSuub Corporation.

"What is the strength of the enemy forces here, Commander?"

Fade switched on a pocket holomap of the battlefield. "The Droid forces seem to be pushing forward towards the main base. Heavy cannon emplacements here and here." The Clone highlighted two points on the ridge in front of the building, one to the left and one to the right.

The general scratched the brown fur of his chin, his black eyes squinted in thought.

"We'll need to destroy those cannons before we can land our walkers. If we pass over them we risk losing the air advantage."

"Admiral Yularen has 2 bomber squadrons ready to dispatch to our position." The commander informed him. "We could use them to target the cannons before we land our forces."

"A bold idea, Commander. If we can destroy those cannons with our bombers, we can land our gunships in a circular formation around the Droid forces. That should cut off their retreat and allow us to wipe them off of Sullust once and for all." The Jedi Master smiled at this turnabout.

"Contact the Admiral, request bomber support. I'll contact Commander Takar's forces."

"Yes General, right away." Fade saluted the Jedi and began contacting the orbiting fleet.

"Choenn, do you copy?" Monn barked down his wrist communicator.

"Loud and clear Master." His Padawan responded quickly and without delay, as ever.

"We've requested bomber support. Get your men ready to disembark, we'll be touching down shortly." The Jedi had to shout over the roar of the transport's engines for fear of not being heard by his apprentice.

"Right away, Master Monn." The communicator cut off with the end of his sentence.

"General, bomber support will be with us in a few moments, they have the cannons targeted." Commander Fade informed him after speaking with the Admiral.

"Very good, Commander." Monn responded, again shouting over the sheer volume of the ship. "Contact all gunships, be ready to land very soon!"

The bright colours of blaster-fire covered the surface of Sullust in a dazzling display of violence. The shining white armour of the Clones of the 501st Legion was dulled with ash and soot from the planet's harsh environment. Over the course of the battle, the Republic force found themselves being pushed further and further back towards the headquarters of SoroSuub, a mineral refinement corporation, by the relentless waves of Battle Droids.

The Republic had intervened on Sullust at the request of the SoroSuub management. The Separatists had threatened the planet with invasion if the Corporation refused to provide funding for the Droid army any longer. Out of fear, the heads of the company contacted the Republic, who leapt into action, arriving shortly before a larger Separatist force.

At the front of the Republic's dwindling army, as always, stood the 501st's Jedi leaders. General Anakin Skywalker, using his deep-blue bladed Lightsaber to deflect the battering volley of blaster-fire with ease, and his young Padawan, the orange-skinned Togruta Ahsoka Tano, ever ready to learn from her master while on the battlefield. Behind them, their loyal Clone office, Captain Rex, blasted the droids away as best he could with dual pistols, at the same time barking out orders and encouragement to boost the morale of his soldiers.

"Master Monn and his Padawan should have been here by now!" Skywalker yelled to his Padawan and the Captain.

"They were passing over the west gulch last time we heard from them, General." Rex shouted back.

"Then what is taking them so long! They'd better have the reinforcements we need!" Skywalker's impatience was growing, and wave after wave of droid unit wasn't helping.

"Master! Up there to the west!" Ahsoka pointed up into the air. Skywalker turned to see a welcome sight. Two squadrons of Y-Wing bombers came roaring down from the sky. One squadron seemed to split off to the east.

"They're taking out the cannons, sir!" Rex shouted, sounding almost relieved. As soon as those words had left Rex's mouth, six fireball ignited across the hillside, taking the Separatist's cannons with them. Then, another sound emanated off of the hillside.

The Gunships descended to the dark surface of the valley in a semi-circular formation. Inside the lead craft, Voolvif Monn braced himself for landing, his right hand unhitching his Lightsaber from his belt. Commander Fade stood behind him, placing his helmet onto his head, concealing the long, jagged scar on his chin. The dark purple, jagged stripes on his helmet matched the shape of his scar, something of a trophy from a previous battle. Upon touchdown, the interior lights of the craft switched from red to green. The great doors of the craft shot open and the men of the 429th Legion leapt onto the battlefield.

The Gunships had surrounded the droid army, encasing them in a circle of firepower and destruction. Master Monn charged the droids, his vibrant green-blade sparking to life and bouncing the red blaster-fire back at the droid forces.

"Get those walkers on the ground, NOW!" The Jedi Master Commanded.

As if hearing his words, the magnetic clamps of the dropships relaxed and the four AT-TE's sprung to life, unleashing a volley of cannon-fire on the Droid forces.

On the opposite side of the semi-circle, Choenn Takar unleashed a mighty blast of force energy at the advancing droids. The impact of the invisible wall pushed the droids to the ground, critically damaging some units. Leaping towards the enemy, he spun his elongated lightsaber hilt to his side, igniting a sapphire blade at each end.

" _Patience!" Master Monn exclaimed again, growing tired of giving his Padawan the same lesson over and over again. "Do not rush in with your attacks. Work out where your opponent will strike next and put up an effective defence. THEN you will gain the upper ground on him!"_

 _Choenn had grown used to this. Master Chandur had taught him the initial components and forms of lightsaber combat. But it was now up to his Master to train him to the best of his abilities._

 _It had been two years since the afternoon in the courtyard, and Choenn found that his skills with a lightsaber had not improved much in that time. He stepped back and dropped his training saber out of frustration._

" _Master, this is hopeless! How am I to defend myself when I cannot move fast enough to cover up my weaknesses?" He dropped to the ground, frustrated with his failure. His master pondered intently._

 _Monn remembered back to that lesson he had taught on the day he took Choenn as his Padawan. He had observed Choenn's fighting style when he was alone. Long, sweeping strikes, elaborate flourishes and twirls, and nimble agility. He then thought to what the young Jedi had just said to him. How was he supposed to defend all his weak points when he couldn't move the saber quick enough? Then he had an idea._

 _Reaching out with the force, Monn called a different training saber to his hand from across the courtyard. He passed it to his Padawan, who was still crouched on the floor._

" _Perhaps I have taught you to use the wrong type of weapon." Monn said as he stood over his upset Padawan._

 _Choenn looked at the training saber his master had dropped at his feet. "But the Jedi don't wield any other weapon than a lightsaber, Master."_

 _Monn helped his Padawan to his feet and held the saber out so he could study it carefully._

" _Look at the weapon before you. What do you notice?"_

 _The young Jedi gazed at the weapon held out by his Master carefully. It then occurred to him._

" _The weapon is longer, with the hilt in the middle."_

" _Yes, good." Monn gave a slight chuckle at his Padawan's surprise. "The saberstaff is a double bladed lightsaber. A switch is located at each end of the hilt, one per blade, so that it can be operated as a regular saber or as a staff."_

 _Choenn listened carefully to his Master's words, taking everything in._

" _The saberstaff requires larger movements. Great, sweeping strikes, spins, quick jabs and athleticism are all important in using such a weapon correctly."_

" _And you believe I should wield such a weapon, Master?" Choenn asked, his voice more inquisitive than ever._

 _The Shistavanen smiled at his Padawan's words. "You catch on quickly, young one." Monn patted Choenn on the shoulder as praise, then dropped the weapon into his open hand. Stepping back to his previous position, Monn ignited his emerald lightsaber._

" _Let us begin again."_

 _The sparring match was longer than before. Choenn blocked all of Monn's strikes. Elaborate spins and jumps into the air caught Monn off-guard, something which Choenn had never seen happen to his Master before. Though Choenn's attacks and defences were quick, Monn was still a Jedi Master. After his Padawan redirected one his attacks upward and attempted to deliver a kick to his Master, Monn brought his green blade back down onto the training blade of his Padawan. Choenn stumbled for a brief second, but this was all the time Monn needed to disarm his Padawan and win the duel._

" _Not bad, young one!" Monn exclaimed through ragged breaths. "We'll pick up again tomorrow."_

4 years had passed since then and Choenn Takar was now an adept user of the saberstaff. His twin blue blades hummed and twirled across the battlefield, cutting down any Battle Droid who stood in his way. He soon cleared a path through the droids for his men to follow, leading them to the pinned-down men of the 501st.

At the same time, Voolvif Monn was also carving his way through his fair share of droids. Commander Fade followed him close by as the AT-TEs rained a volley of destruction on the droids and their tanks. He soon saw a familiar face through the field of soldiers.

"Sorry about the delay! We needed a way around those guns before we could risk landing!" Monn shouted as his emerald blade crackled and hissed as it made contact with blaster bolts.

"Well, they were causing us some havoc down here too!" Skywalker responded loudly over the sounds of war. "So any help was most welcome! Where's your Padawan?"

Monn deflected three more blaster bolts in one clean strike, disabling the three droids who fired them. "Choenn? If he's followed the plan he should be making his way to the north face of the headquarters!"

"He should meet up with Ahsoka and Rex then. They were covering the north face too. I'm sure they'll be glad of the support!"


End file.
